Psychedelics are very much in vogue. Famous people such as quarterback Aaron Rodgers, singer Miley Cyrus, and boxer Mike Tyson testify to his transformative influence. Less visible consumers are “microdosing” with shamanic guides or signing up for retreats in this booming subculture. In June 2023, the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies held a conference in Denver to promote research on psychedelics, fueling enthusiasm for the benefits of substances such as ecstasy, “magic” mushrooms and LSD for treating PTSD, anxiety, depression was part of a larger wave of addiction, and other afflictions.
The current “psychedelic renaissance” is often spoken of as a revolution for the future of the human species. But as a religious scholar studying the sacred uses of drugs, I think it is valuable to look back rather than forward to understand their significance. As always, the past is present: Humans have been incorporating medicines into their spiritual lives for millennia.
Drunk Beast?
Indeed, the consumption of psychoactive “drugs” is a feature of other species. The 1989 book “Intoxication” by University of California, Los Angeles psychopharmacology researcher Ronald Siegel raised awareness among the public and science that animals would seek out narcotics.
Signs of stone life in the animal kingdom go far beyond cats and their catnip. Birds and bees, elephants and wild sheep and many other wildlife repeatedly – one might say religiously – return to substances that are dangerous but whose effects are worrying.
Among the best-known examples of this phenomenon are Siberian reindeer, which partake in the consumption of the fly agaric mushroom, a hallucinogen. Ethnographer Giorgio Samorini described how during the summer reindeer hunted for mushrooms, ate them, and displayed unusual behaviors such as shaking their heads, running aimlessly, and making strange sounds.
Siegel argued that there is evidence that humans and other organisms have a universal propensity to become intoxicated with psychoactive substances—a fourth basic propensity directed toward sex, food, and water. In their view, the drugs appear to trigger certain types of brain activity and interconnections that are related to biologically and developmentally beneficial behaviors, such as increased creativity and performance.
Biology professor One R. Pagan makes a similar argument in his 2021 book “Drunk Flies and Stoned Dolphins”.
Drunk Ancestor?
But there is much more to human drug use than animal instincts. Indeed, the archaeological record appears to be quite influential in linking naturally occurring psychoactive substances to ancient religious rituals.
One of the most recent archaeological finds of Bronze Age drug use was found during excavations at a burial site on the island of Menorca off the coast of Spain, some 3,000 years ago. The researchers chemically analyzed samples of human hair that had been placed near the dead in wooden or horn tubes. The results provided direct evidence of the consumption of psychoactive compounds produced by a variety of nightshade plants: mandrake, henbane and common pine, in this case. Some of these compounds are stimulants, such as ephedrine, and others can cause powerful hallucinations, delusions, and out-of-body experiences.
Crossing continents, a burial site in western China also points to deep links between drugs, altered states, and ritual life. In this case, the researchers found that cannabis plants grown with significantly higher concentrations of the psychoactive compound THC had been burned in wooden containers some 2,500 years ago, possibly during ceremonies for the dead. Although this is not direct evidence of drug use, the authors – who also found a harp at the site – suggest that the burial rites may have included music and hallucinogenic smoke “to put people into a psychotic state. “
Over the ages, the practice of drug use for ritual purposes has certainly moved beyond mortuary rites and has been associated with a variety of rituals, healing practices, and communal ceremonies.
Holy Medicine?
What did our prehistoric ancestors know about these powerful plants and fungi and why did they use them again and again?
It would be too easy to impose contemporary desires on them: to fight depression or to escape from everyday life; healing wounds, both physical and mental; get high and feel good; self-healing; increase concentration; to improve performance; sleep peacefully. The list could go on and on.
On the other hand, the needs and desires of the people living today are shaped by the modern society. The evidence for why humans used drugs in prehistoric cultures around the world points to some of the most basic but important driving forces then and now: religious sensibilities, social bonds and group identity.
For example, studying a burial site in the western Mediterranean, the research team concluded that given the potential toxicity of alkaloids, someone with very expert knowledge of these compounds must have been involved in their production and consumption, possibly a shaman. . In research of prehistoric societies, the term “shaman” is a ubiquitous designation for individuals whose roles include religious leadership, healing, and spiritual communication. To put in more contemporary language, they were major “influencers” in the religious life of their communities.
The study’s lead author, Elisa Guerra Doce, a professor at the University of Valladolid in Spain, has written extensively on medicinal plants and fermented beverages in ancient cultures. In an article, An Overview of the Archaeological Evidence for Psychoactive Substances in Prehistoric Societies, he points to widespread links between drugs and religion, reinforcing an increasingly common argument that “the intentional induction of altered states of consciousness is the basis of system beliefs.” plays an important role in traditional societies around the world”.
get high today
Drugs are ubiquitous in American society, even though we don’t always think of them as “drugs”: from drinking coffee in the morning to a glass of wine in the evening; From swallowing prescription pills to tearing up bongs; From ingesting nicotine on vape to going to psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions.
What do the animalistic and ancient roots of man’s interaction with drugs tell us about this contemporary landscape?
I would say that one conclusion is that perhaps the desire to consume such substances and alter consciousness is a natural part of being human. Like us, people thousands of years ago experienced pain and pleasure, euphoria and death. Like us, they too have tried to understand reality and their place in it. Drug use was not universal in these experiences, but it was not uncommon either, especially in religious life.
In the here and now, these types of uses for psychedelics have often been rebranded as clinical science rather than spirituality. These are targeted at specific diseases, such as addiction or PTSD, and are discussed in the context of scientific breakthroughs, empirical data, and patient satisfaction surveys. However, even in the modern context, the deep interconnections between drugs and religious life are hard to ignore.
(Gary Lederman – Goodrich C. White Professor of Religion, Emory University – in conversation on 07/14/2023)
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